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Definitions

• the present invention relates to electroluminescent materials and to electroluminescent devices.
• Patent application WO98/58037 describes a range of transition metal and lanthanide complexes which can be used in electroluminescent devices which have improved properties and give better results.
• Patent Applications PCT/GB98/01773, PCT/GB99/03619, PCT/GB99/04030, PCT/GB99/04024, PCT/GB99/04028 and PCT/GBOO/00268 describe electroluminescent complexes, structures and devices using rare earth chelates.
• US Patent 5128587 discloses an electroluminescent device which consists of an organometallic complex of rare earth elements of the lanthanide series sandwiched between a transparent electrode of high work function and a second electrode of low work function, with a hole conducting layer interposed between the electroluminescent layer and the transparent high work function electrode, and an electron conducting layer interposed between the electroluminescent layer and the electron injecting low work function anode.
• the hole conducting layer and the electron conducting layer are required to improve the working and the efficiency of the device.
• the hole transporting layer serves to transport holes and to block the electrons, thus preventing electrons from moving into the electrode without recombining with holes. The recombination of carriers therefore mainly takes place in the emitter layer.
• the electroluminescent organo metallic complex can be mixed with a host material and we have now devised an improved electroluminescent material using a metal quinolate as the host material.
• an electroluminescent composition which comprises a mixture of a substituted or unsubstituted metal quinolate and an electroluminescent organo metallic complex.
• the invention also provides an electroluminescent device which comprises (i) a first electrode, (ii) a layer of an electroluminescent composition comprising a mixture of a substituted or unsubstituted metal quinolate and an electroluminescent organo metallic complex and (iii) a second electrode.
• the metal forming the metal quinolate can be selected from sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, copper (I), copper (II), silver, gold, zinc, cadmium, boron, aluminium, gallium, indium, germanium, tin (II), tin (IV), antimony (II), antimony (IV), lead (II), lead (IV) and metals of the first, second and third groups of transition metals in different valence states e.g.
• Some metal quinolates are electroluminescent materials and, in particular lithium quinolate is a known electroluminescent material and WO 00/32717 discloses a lithium quinolate which is made by the reaction of n-butyl lithium with 8 -hydroxy quinoline in an acetonitrile solvent and which emits light in the blue region of the spectrum.
• the light emitting band gap of the electroluminescent organo metallic complex is wider than the band gap of the light emitting excited singlet state of the metal quinolate host material and the light emitting band gap of the electroluminescent organo metallic complex material is within the excited singlet state of the metal quinolate host material the metal quinolate makes no contribution to the colour of the light emitted by the mixture of the electroluminescent organo metallic complex and lithium quinolate.
• the HOMO-LUMO gap of the organo metallic complex is within the HOMO-LUMO gap of the metal quinolate.
• organo metallic complexes are the ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium or platinum iridium complexes and, in particular, iridium complexes :-
• M is ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium or platinum; n is 1 or 2; R 1 - R 5 which may be the same or different are selected from substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups; substituted and unsubstituted monocyclic and polycyclic heterocyclic groups; substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyloxy or carboxy groups; fluorocarbyl groups; halogen; nitrile; nitro; amino; alkylamino; dialkylamino; arylamino; diarylamino; N-alkylamido, 7V-arylamido, sulfonyl and thiophenyl; and R 2 and R 3 can additionally be alkylsilyl or arylsilyl; p, s and t independently are 0, 1, 2 or 3; subject to the proviso that where any of p, s and t is 2 or 3 only one of them can be other than
• R 4, and R 5 can be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen, and substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups such as substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups;
• R 1, R 2 and R 3 can also form substituted and unsubstituted fused aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures and can be copolymerisable with a monomer, or or R 5 and R 6 form a
• M is ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium or platinum and n+2 is the valency of M.
• M is iridium.
• organo metallic complexes are of formula M(L) n and MO(L) n-2 where M is a metal in a valency state n of greater than 3 and L is an organic ligand, the ligands L can be the same or different, e.g. M(L 1 ) (L 2 ) (L 3 ) (L 4 )... or MO(L 1 ) (L 2 )....
• the metal M is a transition metal such as titanium, zirconium or hafnium in the four valency state or vanadium, niobium or tantalum in the five valency state and in particular is zirconium quinolate.
• Patent Application WO 2004/058913 discloses doped zirconium quinolates which can be used in the present invention.
• the electroluminescent compound is doped with a minor amount of a fluorescent material as a dopant, preferably in an amount of 5 to 15% of the doped mixture.
• the presence of the fluorescent material permits a choice from among a wide latitude of wavelengths of light emission.
• Useful fluorescent materials are those capable of being blended with the organo metallic complex and fabricated into thin films satisfying the thickness ranges described above forming the luminescent zones of the EL devices of this invention. While crystalline organo metallic complexes do not lend themselves to thin film formation, the limited amounts of fluorescent materials present in the organo metallic complex materials permits the use of fluorescent materials which are alone incapable of thin film formation. Preferred fluorescent materials are those which form a common phase with the organo metallic complex material. Fluorescent dyes constitute a preferred class of fluorescent materials, since dyes lend themselves to molecular level distribution in the organo metallic complex. Although any convenient technique for dispersing the fluorescent dyes in the organo metallic complexes can be undertaken, preferred fluorescent dyes are those which can be vacuum vapour deposited along with the organo metallic complex materials.
• fluorescent laser dyes are recognized to be particularly useful fluorescent materials for use in the organic EL devices of this invention.
• Dopants which can be used include diphenylacridine, coumarins, perylene and their derivatives. Useful fluorescent dopants are disclosed in US 4769292.
• the organometallic complex can be mixed with a dopant and co-deposited with it, preferably by dissolving the dopant and the organometallic complex in the solvent and spin coating the mixed solution.
• electroluminescent compounds which can be used as the electroluminescent material in the present invention are of general formula (L ⁇ ) n M where M is a rare earth, lanthanide or an actinide, L ⁇ is an organic complex and n is the valence state of M.
• L ⁇ and Lp are organ c ligands
• M is a rare earth, transition metal, lanthanide or an actinide and n is the valence state of the metal M.
• the ligands L ⁇ can be the same or different and there can be a plurality of ligands Lp which can be the same or different.
• (Lj)(L 2 )(L 3 )(L..)M(Lp) where M is a rare earth, transition metal, lanthanide or an actinide and (L 1 )(L 2 )(L 3 )(L...) are the same or different organic complexes and (Lp) is a neutral ligand.
• the total charge of the ligands (L 1 )(L 2 )(L 3 )(L..) is equal to the valence state of the metal M.
• the complex has the formula (L 1 )(L 2 )(L 3 )M (Lp) and the different groups (L 1 )(L 2 )(L 3 ) may be the same or different.
• Lp can be monodentate, bidentate or polydentate and there can be one or more ligands Lp.
• M is a metal ion having an unfilled inner shell and the preferred metals are selected from Sm(III), Eu(II), Eu(III), Tb(III), Dy(III), Yb(III), Lu(III), Gd (III), Gd(III) U(III), Tm(III), Ce (III), Pr(III), Nd(DI), Pm(III), Dy(III) 5 Ho(III) 5 Er(III) 5 Yb(III) and more preferably Eu(III), Tb(III) 5 Dy(III) 5 Gd (III), Er (III), Yt(III).
• organic electroluminescent compounds which can be used in the present invention are of general formula (L ⁇ ) n M 1 M 2 where M 1 is the same as M above, M 2 is a non rare earth metal, L ⁇ is as above and n is the combined valence state of M 1 and M 2 .
• the complex can also comprise one or more neutral ligands Lp so the complex has the general formula (L ⁇ ) n M 1 M 2 (Lp) 5 where Lp is as above.
• the metal M 2 can be any metal which is not a rare earth, transition metal, lanthanide or an actinide.
• metals which can be used include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, copper (I), copper (II), silver, gold, zinc, cadmium, boron, aluminium, gallium, indium, germanium, tin (II), tin (IV), antimony (II), antimony (IV), lead (II), lead (IV) and metals of the first, second and third groups of transition metals in different valence states e.g.
• organometallic complexes which can be used in the present invention are binuclear, trinuclear and polynuclear organometallic complexes e.g. of formula (Lm) x M 1 ⁇ M 2 (Ln) y e.g.
• L is a bridging ligand and where M 1 is a rare earth metal and M 2 is M 1 or a non rare earth metal, Lm and Ln are the same or different organic ligands L ⁇ as defined above, x is the valence state of M 1 and y is the valence state of M 2 .
• trinuclear there are three rare earth metals joined by a metal to metal bond i.e. of formula
• M 1 , M 2 and M 3 are the same or different rare earth metals and Lm
• Ln and Lp are organic ligands L ⁇ and x is the valence state of M 1
• y is the valence state of M 2
• z is the valence state of M 3
• Lp can be the same as Lm and Ln or different.
• the rare earth metals and the non rare earth metals can be joined together by a metal to metal bond and/or via an intermediate bridging atom, ligand or molecular group.
• metals can be linked by bridging ligands e.g.
• L is a bridging ligand
• polynuclear there are more than three metals joined by metal to metal bonds and/or via intermediate ligands or or
• M 1 , M 2 , M 3 and M 4 are rare earth metals and L is a bridging ligand.
• Lg is selected from ⁇ diketones such as those of formulae
• R 1 , R 2 and R 3 can be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen, and substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups such as substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups; R 1 , R 2 and R 3 can also form substituted and unsubstituted fused aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures and can be copolymerisable with a monomer e.g. styrene.
• X is Se, S or O
• Y can be hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups, such as substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorine, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups or nitrile.
• the beta diketones can be polymer substituted beta diketones and in the polymer, oligomer or dendrimer substituted ⁇ diketone the substituents group can be directly linked to the diketone or can be linked through one or more - CH 2 groups i.e.
• polymer can be a polymer, an oligomer or a dendrimer, (there can be one or two substituted phenyl groups as well as three as shown in (HIc)) and where R is selected from hydrogen, and substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups such as substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups.
• R 1 and/or R 2 and/or R 3 examples include aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic alkoxy, aryloxy and carboxy groups, substituted and substituted phenyl, fluorophenyl, biphenyl, phenanthrene, anthracene, naphthyl and fluorene groups alkyl groups such as t-butyl, heterocyclic groups such as carbazole.
• Some of the different groups L ⁇ may also be the same or different charged groups such as carboxylate groups so that the group Lj can be as defined above and the groups L 2 , L 3. .. can be charged groups such as
• R is R 1 as defined above or the groups L 1 , L 2 can be as defined above and L 3 . etc, are other charged groups.
• R 1, R 2 and R 3 can also be
• X is O, S, Se or NH.
• R 1 is trifluoromethyl CF 3 and examples of such diketones are, banzoyltrifluoroacetone, p-chlorobenzoyltrifluoroacetone, p-bromotrifluoroacetone, p-phenyltrifluoroacetone, 1-naphthoyltrifluoroacetone, 2-naphthoyltrifluoroacetone, 2-phenathoyltrifluoroacetone, 3-phenanthoyltrifluoroacetone, 9- anthroyltrifluoroacetonetrifluoroacetone, cinnamoyltrifluoroacetone, and 2- thenoyltrifluoroacetone,
• the different groups L ⁇ may be the same or different ligands of formulae
• R 1 R 2 and R 3 are as above.
• the different groups L ⁇ may be the same or different quinolate derivatives such as
• R is hydrocarbyl, aliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic carboxy, aryloxy, hydroxy or alkoxy e.g. the 8 hydroxy quinolate derivatives or
• R, R 1 , and R 2 are as above or are H or F e.g. R 1 and R 2 are alkyl or alkoxy groups
• the different groups L ⁇ may also be the same or different carboxylate groups e.g.
• R 5 is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic, polycyclic or heterocyclic ring a polypyridyl group
• R 5 can also be a 2-ethyl hexyl group so L n is 2-ethylhexanoate or R 5 can be a chair structure so that L n is 2-acetyl cyclohexanoate or L ⁇ can be
• R is as above e.g. alkyl, allenyl, amino or a fused ring such as a cyclic or polycyclic ring.
• the different groups Lq may also be
• R, R 1 and R 2 are as above.
• the groups Lp can be selected from
• each Ph which can be the same or different and can be a phenyl (OPNP) or a substituted phenyl group, other substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic or polycyclic group, a substituted or unsubstituted fused aromatic group such as a naphthyl, anthracene, phenanthrene or pyrene group.
• the substituents can be for example an alkyl, aralkyl, alkoxy, aromatic, heterocyclic, polycyclic group, halogen such as fluorine, cyano, amino, substituted amino etc. Examples are given in figs.
• R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 can be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen, hydrocarbyl groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups; R, R 1 , R 2, R 3 and R 4 can also form substituted and unsubstituted fused aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures and can be copolymerisable with a monomer e.g. styrene. R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 can also be unsaturated alkylene groups such as vinyl groups or groups
• L p can also be compounds of formulae
• R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as referred to above, for example bathophen shown in fig. 3 of the drawings in which R is as above or
• R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as referred to above.
• Ln can also be
• L p chelates are as shown in fig. 4 and fluorene and fluorene derivatives e.g. as shown in fig. 5 and compounds of formulae as shown in figs. 6 to 8.
• L ⁇ and Lp are tripyridyl and TMHD, and TMHD complexes, ⁇ , ⁇ ' , ⁇ ' ' tripyridyl, crown ethers, cyclans, cryptans phthalocyanans, porphoryins ethylene diamine tetramine (EDTA), DCTA, DTPA and TTHA, where TMHD is 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato and OPNP is diphenylphosphonimide triphenyl phosphorane.
• TMHD 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato
• OPNP diphenylphosphonimide triphenyl phosphorane.
• the formulae of the polyamines are shown in fig. 9.
• organic electroluminescent materials which can be used include metal quinolates such as lithium quinolate, and non rare earth metal complexes such as aluminium, magnesium, zinc and scandium complexes such as complexes of ⁇ - diketones e.g. Tris -(l,3-diphenyl-l-3-propanedione) (DBM) and suitable metal complexes are A1(DBM) 3 , Zn(DBM) 2 and Mg(DBM) 2 ., Sc(DBM) 3 etc.
• metal quinolates such as lithium quinolate
• non rare earth metal complexes such as aluminium, magnesium, zinc
• scandium complexes such as complexes of ⁇ - diketones e.g. Tris -(l,3-diphenyl-l-3-propanedione) (DBM)
• suitable metal complexes are A1(DBM) 3 , Zn(DBM) 2 and Mg(DBM) 2 ., Sc
• organic electroluminescent materials which can be used include the metal complexes of formula
• M is metal other than a rare earth, a transition metal, a lanthanide or an actinide; n is the valency of M; R 1 , R 2 and R 3 which may be the same or different are selected from hydrogen, hydrocarbyl groups, substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups or nitrile; R 11 and R 3 can also be form ring structures and R 1 , R 2 and R 3 can be copolymerisable with a monomer e.g. styrene.
• M is aluminium and R 3 is a phenyl or substituted phenyl group.
• organic electroluminescent materials which can be used include electroluminescent diiridium compounds of formula
• R 1, R 2, R 3 and R 4 can be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen, and substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups; preferably R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are selected from substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups; R 1 , R 2 and R 3 can also form substituted and unsubstituted fused aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures and can be copolymerisable with a monomer and L 1 and L 2 are the same or different organic ligands and more preferably L 1 and L 2 are selected from phenyl pyridine and substituted phenylpryidines.
• Ph is an unsubstituted or substituted phenyl group where the substituents can be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen, and substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups such as substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl "methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups; R, R 1 and R 2 can be hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups, such as substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorine, fluorocarbons such as trifluoryl methyl groups, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups or nitrile.
• R and/or R 1 and/or R 2 and/or R 3 include aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic alkoxy, aryloxy and carboxy groups, substituted and substituted phenyl, fluorophenyl, biphenyl, phenanthrene, anthracene, naphthyl and fluorene groups alkyl groups such as t-butyl, heterocyclic groups such as carbazole.
• Further electroluminescent materials which can be used include metal quinolates such as aluminium quinolate, lithium quinolate, zirconium quinolate etc. and metal quinolates doped with fluorescent materials or dies as disclosed in patent application WO/2004/058913.
• the metal quinolate host and the electroluminescent material must be different.
• the thickness of the layer of the electroluminescent material is preferably from 10 - 250 nm, more preferably 20 - 75 nm.
• the first electrode can function as the anode and the second electrode can function as the cathode and preferably there is a layer of a hole transporting material between the anode and the layer of the electroluminescent compound.
• the hole transporting material can be any of the hole transporting materials used in electroluminescent devices.
• the hole transporting material can be an amine complex such as ⁇ -NBP, poly (vinylcarbazole), N, N'-diphenyl-N, N'-bis (3-methylphenyl) -1,1' -biphenyl -4,4'- diamine (TPD), an unsubstituted or substituted polymer of an amino substituted aromatic compound, a polyaniline, substituted polyanilines, polythiophenes, substituted polythiophenes, polysilanes and substituted polysilanes etc.
• polyanilines are polymers of:
• R is in the ortho- or meta-position and is hydrogen, Cl -18 alkyl, C 1-6 alkoxy, amino, chloro, bromo, hydroxy or the group: where R is alkyl or aryl and R' is hydrogen, C 1-6 alkyl or aryl with at least one other monomer of formula II above.
• the hole transporting material can be a polyaniline.
• Polyanilines which can be used in the present invention have the general formula:
• XXXXIII where p is from 1 to 10 and n is from 1 to 20, R is as defined above and X is an anion, preferably selected from Cl, Br, SO 4 , BF 4 , PF 6 , H 2 PO 3 , H 2 PO 4 , arylsulphonate, arenedicarboxylate, polystyrenesulphonate, polyacrylate alkylsulphonate, vinylsulphonate, vinylbenzene sulphonate, cellulose sulphonate, camphor sulphonate, cellulose sulphate or a perfluorinated polyanion.
• arylsulphonates are p-toluenesulphonate, benzenesulphonate, 9,10- anthraquinone-sulphonate and anthracenesulphonate.
• An example of an arenedicarboxylate is phthalate and an example of arenecarboxylate is benzoate.
• the deprotonated unsubstituted or substituted polymer of an amino substituted aromatic compound can be formed by deprotonating the polymer by treatment with an alkali such as ammonium hydroxide or an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.
• an alkali such as ammonium hydroxide or an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.
• the degree of protonation can be controlled by forming a protonated polyaniline and deprotonating. Methods of preparing polyanilines are described in the article by A. G. MacDiarmid and A. F. Epstein, Faraday Discussions, Chem Soc.88 P319, 1989.
• the conductivity of the polyaniline is dependent on the degree of protonation with the maximum conductivity being when the degree of protonation is between 40 and 60%, for example about 50%.
• the polymer is substantially fully deprotonated.
• a polyaniline can be formed of octamer units, i.e. p is four, e.g.
• the polyanilines can have conductivities of the order of 1 x 10 "1 Siemen cm " or higher.
• the aromatic rings can be unsubstituted or substituted, e.g. by a Cl to 20 alkyl group such as ethyl.
• the polyaniline can be a copolymer of aniline and preferred copolymers are the copolymers of aniline with o-anisidine, m-sulphanilic acid or o-aminophenol, or o- toluidine with o-aminophenol, o-ethylaniline, o-phenylene diamine or with amino anthracenes.
• polymers of an amino substituted aromatic compound which can be used include substituted or unsubstituted polyaminonapthalenes, polyaminoanthracenes, polyaminophenanthrenes, etc, and polymers of any other condensed polyaromatic compound.
• Polyaminoanthracenes and methods of making them are disclosed in US Patent 6153726.
• the aromatic rings can be unsubstituted or substituted, e.g. by a group R as defined above.
• conjugated polymers are conjugated polymers and the conjugated polymers which can be used can be any of the conjugated polymers disclosed or referred to in US 5807627, WO90/13148 and WO92/03490.
• the preferred conjugated polymers are poly (p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) and copolymers including PPV.
• Other preferred polymers are poly(2,5 dialkoxyphenylene vinylene) such as ⁇ oly[(2-methoxy-5-(2-methoxypentyloxy-l,4- ⁇ henylene vinylene)], poly[(2-methoxypentyloxy)-l ,4-phenylenevinylene], poly[(2-methoxy-5- (2-dodecyloxy-l,4-phenylenevinylene)] and other poly(2,5 dialkoxyphenylenevinylenes) with at least one of the alkoxy groups being a long chain solubilising alkoxy group, polyfluorenes and oligofluorenes, polyphenylenes and oligophenylenes, polyanthracenes and oligoanthracenes, polythiophenes and oligothiophenes.
• the phenylene ring may optionally carry one or more substituents, e.g. each independently selected from alkyl, preferably methyl, or alkoxy, preferably methoxy or ethoxy.
• the fluorene ring may optionally carry one or more substituents e.g. each independently selected from alkyl, preferably methyl, alkoxy, preferably methoxy or ethoxy.
• substituents e.g. each independently selected from alkyl, preferably methyl, alkoxy, preferably methoxy or ethoxy.
• Any poly(arylenevinylene) including substituted derivatives thereof can be used and the phenylene ring in poly(p- ⁇ henylenevinylene) may be replaced by a fused ring system such as an anthracene or naphthalene ring and the number of vinylene groups in each poly(phenylenevinylene) moiety can be increased, e.g. up to 7 or higher.
• the conjugated polymers can be made by the methods disclosed in US 5807627, WO90/13148 and WO92/03490.
• the thickness of the hole transporting layer is preferably 20nm to 200nm.
• the polymers of an amino substituted aromatic compound such as polyanilines referred to above can also be used as buffer layers with or in conjunction with other hole transporting materials e.g. between the anode and the hole transporting layer.
• Other buffer layers can be formed of phthalocyanines such as copper phthalocyanine.
• R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 can be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen, substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbyl groups such as substituted and unsubstituted aliphatic groups, substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbon groups such as trifluoromethyl, halogens such as fluorine or thiophenyl groups; R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 can also form substituted and unsubstituted fused aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures and can be copolymerisable with a monomer, e.g.
• styrene X is Se, S or O
• Y can be hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarboxyl groups, such as substituted and unsubstituted aromatic, heterocyclic and polycyclic ring structures, fluorocarbon groups such as trifluoromethyl, halogens such as fluorine, thiophenyl or nitrile groups.
• R and/or R 1 and/or R 2 and/or R 3 and/or R 4 include aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic groups, alkoxy, aryloxy and carboxy groups, substituted and unsubstituted phenyl, fluorophenyl, biphenyl, naphthyl, fluorenyl, anthracenyl and phenantlirenyl groups, alkyl groups such as t-butyl, and heterocyclic groups such as carbazole.
• Electron injecting materials include a metal complex such as a metal quinolate, e.g.
• a Schiff base can also be used in place of the DBM moiety.
• the electron injecting material can be mixed with the electroluminescent material and co-deposited with it.
• the hole transporting material can be mixed with the electroluminescent material and co-deposited with it and the electron injecting materials and the electroluminescent materials can be mixed.
• the hole transporting materials, the electroluminescent materials and the electron injecting materials can be mixed together to form one layer, which simplifies the construction.
• the first electrode is preferably a transparent substrate such as a conductive glass or plastic material which acts as the anode; preferred substrates are conductive glasses such as indium tin oxide coated glass, but any glass which is conductive or has a conductive layer such as a metal or conductive polymer can be used. Conductive polymers and conductive polymer coated glass or plastics materials can also be used as the substrate.
• the cathode is preferably a low work function metal, e.g. aluminium, barium, calcium, lithium, rare earth metals, transition metals, magnesium and alloys thereof such as silver/magnesium alloys, rare earth metal alloys etc; aluminium is a preferred metal.
• a metal fluoride such as an alkali metal e.g. lithium fluoride or rare earth metal or their alloys can be used as the second electrode, for example by having a metal fluoride layer formed on a metal.
• the indium or other metal complex can be mixed with a host material.
• the devices of the present invention can be used as displays in video displays, mobile telephones, portable computers and any other application where an electronically controlled visual image is used.
• the devices of the present invention can be used in both active and passive applications of such displays.
• each pixel comprises at least one layer of an electroluminescent material and a (at least semi-) transparent electrode in contact with the organic layer on a side thereof remote from the substrate.
• the substrate is of crystalline silicon and the surface of the substrate may be polished or smoothed to produce a flat surface prior to the deposition of electrode, or electroluminescent compound.
• a non-planarised silicon substrate can be coated with a layer of conducting polymer to provide a smooth, flat surface prior to deposition of further materials.
• each pixel comprises a metal electrode in contact with the substrate.
• the metal and transparent electrodes either may serve as the anode with the other constituting the cathode.
• the silicon substrate is the cathode an indium tin oxide coated glass can act as the anode and light is emitted through the anode.
• the cathode can be formed of a transparent electrode which has a suitable work function; for example by an indium zinc oxide coated glass in which the indium zinc oxide has a low work function.
• the anode can have a transparent coating of a metal formed on it to give a suitable work function.
• the metal electrode may consist of a plurality of metal layers; for example a higher work function metal such as aluminium deposited on the substrate and a lower work function metal such as calcium deposited on the higher work function metal.
• a further layer of conducting polymer lies on top of a stable metal such as aluminium.
• the electrode also acts as a mirror behind each pixel and is either deposited on, or sunk into, the planarised surface of the substrate.
• the electrode may alternatively be a light absorbing black layer adjacent to the substrate.
• selective regions of a bottom conducting polymer layer are made non-conducting by exposure to a suitable aqueous solution allowing formation of arrays of conducting pixel pads which serve as the bottom contacts of the pixel electrodes.
• An electroluminescent device was prepared by sequentially depositing layers of the component layers on an ITO coated glass substrate.
• a pre-etched ITO coated glass piece (10 x 10cm 2 ) was used.
• the device was fabricated by sequentially forming the layers on the ITO, by vacuum evaporation using a Solciet Machine, ULVAC Ltd. Chigacki, Japan; the active area of each pixel was 3 mm by 3 mm.
• the mixed layers were formed by depositing the two materials simultaneously onto the substrate.
• compounds X, Y and Z are
• a device was fabricated of structure ITO(110nm)/CuPc(10nm)/ ⁇ -NPB(60nm)/Liq:Compound X (30:2)nm /BCP(6nm) / Zrq 4 (30nm)/LiF (0.5nm)/Al
• Compound X is thiophen-2-yl-pyridine-C 2 , N']-2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole iridium synthesised as above
• CuPc is a copper phthalocyanine buffer layer
• ⁇ -NPB is as in fig. 16a
• Liq is lithium quinolate
• BCP is bathocupron
• Zrq 4 zirconium quinolate
• LiF lithium fluoride.
• the coated electrodes were stored in a vacuum desiccator over a molecular sieve and phosphorous pentoxide until they were loaded into a vacuum coater Solciet Machine,ULVAC Ltd. Chigacki, Japan; the active area of each pixel was 3mm by 3mm, and aluminium top contacts made. The devices were then kept in a vacuum desiccator until the electroluminescence studies were performed.
• the ITO electrode was always connected to the positive terminal.
• the current vs. voltage studies were carried out on a computer controlled Keithly 2400 source meter.
• Example 2 A device was constructed as in Example 2 which had the structure ITO(110nm)/Compound Y(10nm)/ ⁇ -NPB(60nm)/Liq:Compound X (30:2)nm / Zrq 4 (30nm)/LiF (0.5nm)/Al
• Example 2 A device was constructed as in Example 2 which had the structure ITO(110nm)/ZnTpTP(10nm)/ ⁇ -NPB(60nm)/Liq:Compound X (30:2)nm / Zrq 4 (30nm)/LiF (0.5nm)/Al An electric current was passed through the device as in Example 1 and the properties of the emitted light measured and the results are shown in figs. 23 to 25 of the drawings.
• Example 5 A device was constructed as in Example 2 which had the structure ITO(110nm)/ZnTpTP(10nm)/ ⁇ -NPB(60nm)/Liq:Compound X (30:2)nm / Zrq 4 (30nm)/LiF (0.5nm)/Al An electric current was passed through the device as in Example 1 and the properties of the emitted light measured and the results are shown in figs. 23 to 25 of the drawings.
• Example 5
• Example 2 A device was constructed as in Example 2 which had the structure ITO(I lOnmyCompound Y(10nm)/ ⁇ -NPB(60nm)/Liq:Compound X (30:2)nm/ 30nm) /LiF (0.5nm)/Al
• Example 2 A device was constructed as in Example 2 which had the structure ITO(110nm)/ZnTpTP(10nm)/ ⁇ -NPB(60nm)/Liq:Compound X (30:2)nm / Liq (30nm)/LiF (0.5nm)/Al An electric current was passed through the device as in Example 2 and the properties of the emitted light measured and the results are shown in figs. 29 to 31 of the drawings.

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